Get On Up (2014)

I've been a James Brown fan since I was in pre-school.  One of my favorite childhood memories is of watching him on "The Ed Sullivan Show".  Mr. Brown fell on his knees to the stage, and a cape was draped around his shoulders.  Normally, someone in his show would do the honors with the cape, helping an allegedly overcome-with-emotion Brown off the stage.  That time, Ed Sullivan put the cape on Mr. Brown.  Sullivan didn't know what to do when Mr. Brown suddenly revived and ran back up to the microphone. Sullivan just let the cape fall and stepped back into the wings of the stage.

This movie doesn't feature that performance, but it does cover some of Brown's other big performances such as when he went on The T.A.M.I. Show (1965), the concert featured on the famous Live At The Apollo album (1966), and a concert done in Paris back in 1971.  But the movie doesn't delve deeper into is what made The Hardest Working Man In Show Business tick.  There are plenty of hints that Brown was affected by situations in his life, but the screenplay falls short.

We get a little of Brown's (Chadwick Boseman) poverty-stricken childhood in Georgia, with absentee parents (played by Lennie Jones and Viola Davis) who had their own problems.  As a young man, Brown ends up in jail for stealing, and is saved from a long term by the family of the guy who would become his best friend, Bobby Byrd (Nelsan Ellis).  Byrd is the band member that is focused on the most.  Musicians Maceo Parker (Craig Robinson), Pee Wee Ellis (Tariq Trotter), and backup singer Yvonne Fair (Tika Sumpter) aren't shown much.  Boseman does a good job of doing Brown's signature dance moves; I was especially pleased to see a scene reenacted from the movie Ski Party (1965), which featured Brown doing a split in the snow.  Unfortunately, the movie jumps back and forth between Brown's youth, the climb up to fame, and after fame arrived.  Sometimes, titles let the audience know what year the story was in at the moment.  Most other times, I had to figure it out by the hairstyles and clothes the characters were wearing.

I thought it was a nice touch having Dan Ackroyd playing Ben Bart, who managed Brown's career for a long time.  Ackroyd knew Brown in real life, and he appeared in The Blues Brothers (1980) and The Blues Brothers 2000 (1999) with Brown.  Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, is one of the producers of the movie.

"Behind the Candelabra" (2013)

My late mother would always make snide remarks about Liberace.  She would refer to the late pianist as "funny", and Ma didn't mean humorous.  This made-for-cable movie addresses what many probably already knew:  that Liberace (Michael Douglas) was gay.  It covers a relationship the pianist had with Scott Thorsen (Matt Damon).

Thorsen is introduced to Liberace by Bob Black (Scott Bakula) after one of the pianist's concerts.  The man who drives Liberace onstage in a Rolls Royce is not happy, and he has good reason for that.  It isn't long before that man is moving out of Liberace's house, and Thorsen is moved in.  Liberace's houseboy is also sent packing after he tells Thorsen that Liberace will eventually grow tired of Thorsen.

Liberace spoils Thorsen with everything money can buy.  Thorsen is even talked into getting plastic surgery to look like Liberace.  There's talk of Liberace adopting Thorsen, and the young man is placed in his will.  Thorsen is satisfied until things become so comfortable that it feels more like a prison.  Liberace begins to accuse Thorsen of not being grateful for what has been done for him.  It does not help matters when Thorsen begins to use drugs behind the plastic surgery.  The relationship begins to fall apart.

Liberace is shown as a man loved by audiences but trapped by his private lifestyle.  His manager, Seymour Heller (Dan Ackroyd) knows the pianist's secret, and is devoted to hiding it behind a carefully planned public image.  Thorsen doesn't appear to be an opportunist here, but a wide-eyed young man swept up into a glamorous lifestyle without considering what was behind the curtain.  I liked how Douglas played Liberace, using the man's speech patterns and flamboyance without it being a usual stereotype or mocking him.

Michael Douglas is the son of actor Kirk Douglas.  Mr. Douglas won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for his performance in Wall Street (1987).  Matt Damon co-wrote Good Will Hunting (1997) with his friend Ben Affleck; they won an Oscar for the screenplay.   Debbie Reynolds plays Liberace's mother; I didn't know it was her until I read the credits.  She was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964).  Dan Ackroyd was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy (1989).

Doctor Detroit (1983)

I have always liked Dan Aykroyd, ever since his days as a cast member during the first five years of "Saturday Night Live" (1975-present). He's not only funny, but he is a fine dramatic actor, having been nominated for an Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1990 for the film Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Doctor Detroit was released a couple of years after Neighbors (1981), a film he had done with his late buddy, John Belushi.

The movie could have been funnier in a lot of spots, but it's not horrible. Clifford Skirdlow (Aykroyd) is a conservative and somewhat eccentric college professor who finds himself in the position of protecting four hookers (Donna Dixon, Lydia Lei, Fran Drescher, Lynn Whitfield) after their pimp, Diavolo (T.K. Carter), gets in trouble with a crime boss known as Mom (Kate Murtaugh). Diavolo makes up a story to Mom that he's been intimidated by a guy named Doctor Detroit. Clifford has to pull many a ruse to keep the girls out of trouble, including taking on the Doctor Detroit persona.

There's a scene where Thelma (Lynn Whitfield) is hauled into court for streetwalking. Clifford peeks in and notices the judge (Parley Baer) is a Southern good old boy. Clifford gets a white suit and pretends that he's a country lawyer, gets on the judge's good side, and convinces him to let Thelma go. The judge then sees Thelma, who is brought into the room after the charges has been dropped. As Clifford hustles her out, the prejudiced judge protests, "That girl is colored!" Thelma snapped back, "Ain't nobody took no crayon to me!"

Aykroyd's younger brother, Peter, has a small role. Ms. Drescher had her own TV series, "The Nanny"(1993-1998) and she was in the film This Is Spinal Tap (1984). Ms. Whitfield was in "The Josephine Baker Story" (1991) and won an Emmy for her portrayal of the famous performer. The late James Brown performs in this movie, and Ms. Dixon married Aykroyd in real life.

"Soul Man" (1997-1998)

Rev. Mike Weber (Dan Aykroyd) was a widowed Episcopal minister raising four kids: Kenny (Kevin Sheridan), age 14, Andy (Brendon Ryan Barrett), a slick 11 year old, Meredith, age 8, and Fred, the youngest. Mike had been a hell-raiser when he was younger, and was trying to be a role model for his kids. The opening credits showed the minister arriving for church on a motorcycle. Bishop Jerome (Dakin Matthews) was Mike's boss, who sometimes viewed him with skepticism, and Father Todd Tucker (Anthony Clark) was a goofy assistant minister who often made situations worse. Melinda (Bridgette Collins) and Nancy (Helen Cates) were possible love interests for Mike.

On the surface, this was a standard sitcom based around a family, with Aykroyd as the unlikely lead. This show was actually had a lot of funny moments, especially when provided by Barrett and Clark. There didn't seem to be enough of a push on ABC's part to promote the show, and it got lost in the schedule, lasting only a season.

Aykroyd is most famous for being one of the original Not Ready For Prime-Time Players, the first cast ever on the long running "Saturday Night Live" (1975-present). Clark's next sitcom was "Yes Dear" on CBS.  Mr. Matthews played Bree's pastor in a re-occurring role on "Desperate Housewives".